A Day Book ...

 

FOR TODAY, July 30th, 2024

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...

No picture today as it is still quite dark. I might be able to add one later on. I was awake at 5:30 this morning and it is not yet six. It is supposed to get quite warm today.  Typical summer weather for here. Clear, warm and humid.

I AM THINKING ...

Of course the blog problem is uppermost in my mind. I am beyond feeling desperate at the moment. I am trying hard to keep my faith up and to trust that all will be well with this situation, but nobody who can actually help me with it seems to care. Squarespace prides itself on having tech help available 24/7 but I have been now waiting since Thursday evening and no help has been forthcoming. I just keep getting emails saying thank you for your patience. Wait times are longer at the  moment due to the high volume of requests, yada yada yada

In the meantime I am sinking  . . . floundering  . . . I'm treading water as fast as I can. I am very much relying on the Lord to help keep me afloat.  I've done all that I can do for now. I don't know what else I can do.

I AM ALSO THINKING ...

I hope that I can figure out this video thing.  I tried to do a short one yesterday.  They are going to be abysmal until I can figure things out.  I don't know the first thing about any of this. Such a steep learning curve to try to come to grasp with at an age where I should be able to just relax and enjoy my life.  And even if I do get things running it will take months before I can possibly monetize any videos. I have seen people do it in 10 weeks.  I am not going to give up. I am dedicated to giving it my best shot. Something else I have had to completely put into the Lord's hands.

IN THE KITCHEN ...

I can only share what was on my plate yesterday. No recipe. Just steamed fresh yellow beans, some frozen fried rice and frozen chicken balls which I drizzled with some plum sauce.

ON MY "TO COOK" LIST ...

Jenna Bakes.  These Breakfast Stuffed Puff Pastry bars look really good.  In reality I wouldn't dare eat one, but that doesn't stop me from looking and drooling.

REMEMBERING ...

Elder Uchtdorf gave this talk back in October of 2011.  Forget me Not.  I remember when I first heard it, it was as if he was talking to me.  I was so inspired by the talk that I did a little piece of art to go with it.

My husband thought it was so good that I should send a copy to (Then) President Uchtdorf.  I poo pooed the idea but then I went and got a frame and sent it off.  In the month or so after I experienced a cancer scare.  I completely forgot about having sent this art to Elder Uchtdorf, I was so distracted with my health issues.  I remember I was waiting for test results to come back from the hospital.  On this particular day,  (The beginning of November) I heard the mail come through the letter box in the front door. When I went to check, there were two letters laying on the mat by the door. One was from the hospital. One was from the Office of the First Presidency of my church.  

I opened that one first.  It was a thankyou letter from President Uchtdorf. In it he thanked me for my gift and he also said the following:  "I commend you on staying faithful to your covenants through times of adversity and discouragement. God has blessed you, and He is mindful of the desires of your heart." 

I knew then that all would be okay, and it was.  No cancer. I remember laying in bed that night and re-reading his letter and thinking about how much my Heavenly Father cared about me, so much so that He had prompted an Apostle of the Lord to let me know that He did. And in revisiting that time this morning, I am encouraged once more by Elder Uchtdorf's words.  God is mindful of the desires of my heart. He is on the case. I just need to exercise more patience and do all that I can do, and not give in to the feelings of desperation that I am feeling. He will not drop me now. He never has.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO CREATE ...

No source, but, how cute are these!

Again no source, but terrifically cute.

No source again, but three of my loves.  Crochet. Embroidery. Buttons.

Bloglovin  Mason Jar Crochet Hook Holder. 

Craft Her  Sea Shell Coasters.

OH MY GOODNESS ...

Seriously cute. Hedgehogs are about the most benign creatures on earth. So docile. We used to have them visiting the garden from time to time in the U.K.

I AM READING ...

The Rapture of Canaan, by Sheri Reynolds

Members of the Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind spend their days and nights serving the Lord and waiting for the Rapture--that moment just before the Second Coming of Christ when the saved will be lifted bodily to heaven and the damned will be left behind to face the thousand years of tribulation on earth. 

The tribulation, according to Grandpa Herman, founder of Fire and Brimstone, will be an ugly time: "He said that we'd run out of food. That big bugs would chase us around and sting us with their tails . . . He said we'd turn on the faucet in the bathroom and find only blood running out . . . He said evil multitudes would come unto us and cut off our limbs, and that we wouldn't die . . . And then he'd say, 'But you don't have to be left behind. You can go straight to Heaven with all of God's special children if you'll only open your hearts to Jesus . . .'" 

Such talk of damnation weighs heavy on the mind of Ninah Huff, the 15-year-old narrator of Sheri Reynolds's second novel, The Rapture of Canaan. To distract her from sinful thoughts about her prayer partner James, Ninah puts pecan shells in her shoes and nettles in her bed. But concentrating on the Passion of Jesus cannot, in the end, deter Ninah and James from their passion for each other, and the consequences prove both tragic and transforming for the entire community. 

 The Rapture of Canaan is a book about miracles, and in writing it, Reynolds has performed something of a miracle herself. Although the church's beliefs and practices may seem extreme (sleeping in an open grave, mortifying the flesh with barbed wire), its members are complex and profoundly sympathetic as they wrestle with the contradictions of Fire and Brimstone's theology, the temptations of the outside world, and the frailties of the human heart.

I am revisiting this book. I have read it a couple of times now. It is one of my longstanding favorite novels and I enjoy rereading it from time to time.

THINGS I LOVE ...

 

(source)

Sunflowers . . . 

 

(source)

Sunsets  . . . . 

 

(source)

This  . . . 

 

(source)

Fresh bread  . . .

 

(source)

Fresh garlic  . . . 

MAKES ME SMILE ...

They really do love each other  . . . 

SOMETHING TO WATCH ...

The Kings Daughter  . . .  Netflix

A THOUGHT TO CARRY WITH YOU ...

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.°Great things are done by

a series of small things

brought together.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

~Vincent VanGogh  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

Please continue to pray for me and a resolution to the English Kitchen problem.  I really need and appreciate them.

And that's my daybook for this week!



  ⋱ ⋮ ⋰
⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small *´¯`.¸¸.☆
  ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆ 



✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.• ╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥
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Have a beautiful day!  Don't forget!  

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And I do too!